March 26, 2008	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 17, 1429

Archives Write to Mr. Irfan Husain

ABOUT three months ago, my pocket was picked while I was riding the Number 10 bus from Knightsbridge to Kensington in West London. Luckily, I had very little cash in my wallet, although it was a hassle cancelling credit cards, and then obtaining a duplicate of my Pakistani driving licence.

All in all, I got off pretty lightly, and therefore decided not to inform the police. But people advised me to report the crime just so the cops could be on the lookout for the pickpockets in the area. I was in Devizes the next day, and rang the Kensington Metropolitan Police office. I was asked to give my number and told that somebody would contact me soon. A few hours later, an educated-sounding officer called, and asked for details. I told him that while standing on the bus, I had been jostled by a young man wearing a jacket with a hood (or ‘hoodie’ as it is known) who was in a group of three. They appeared to speak in an East European language, and the tall one closest to me was chewing gum in a loud and offensive manner while standing closer to me than appeared necessary.

They jumped off at the next stop, chattering loudly and excitedly among themselves. When I got off at High Street Kensington to draw money from an ATM, I discovered that my wallet was missing. Luckily, my bus pass was in another pocket, so I rushed home and called my banks in London and Pakistan to cancel my cards. After much telephoning, I managed to have both cards blocked, and was relieved to learn that there had been no transactions on either card within the last hour or so. So far, so ordinary. After all, petty crimes of this nature are commonplace in London, as well as in virtually every major city. If you are wondering why I am even bothering writing about this incident, here’s why: after I had recounted my little misadventure to the officer from the Kensington police station, I was given a number to cite in case I claimed insurance. He earnestly assured me that if my wallet were to turn up, I would be immediately informed.Pleased I had done my civic duty, but expecting to hear no more about it, I was flabbergasted to receive a letter from the Kensington Metropolitan Police a couple of days later. In the letter, I was informed the police would do everything in their power to investigate the crime, and closed by referring me to a voluntary Trauma Support Service that would be glad to help me recover from the shock of being the victim of a crime. A couple of days later, I received another letter, this time from the local Trauma Support Service in Devizes. I was asked to drop into their nearby office in case I needed any counselling to help me recover from my ‘unpleasant and possibly traumatic experience’.

Unfortunately, I was travelling to Pakistan very soon after these offers of help, as otherwise I would have certainly dropped in to see how they helped crime victims. The mere idea of volunteers giving their time and expertise to counsel people who had had their pockets picked was a completely alien concept to me. I am so used to violent crimes in Pakistan that a mere pickpocket is hardly likely to traumatise me. Here, simply registering an FIR is traumatic enough, so most victims simply don’t bother reporting crimes.

My experience was hardly novel in another sense. East European immigrants in the UK, are a major source of criminal activities. Poles, in particular, have flooded the country with over 600,000 rushing in after Poland was admitted to the European Union around four years ago. They now supply the market with skills ranging from plumbing to butchering cattle. Many young Poles are involved in a wide range of petty crimes. Gangs roam the cities, looking for victims.

The perception that crime is rapidly increasing in Britain is a stick frequently used by Tory politicians to beat the Labour government with. Violent attacks involving knives and guns are commonplace, and make for lurid headlines. Reporters follow investigations into especially gruesome crimes with breathless intensity. One disturbing element is the age group of many of the criminals and their victims. In many cases, both are in their low or pre-teens, and the images of young boys smiling toothily out of TV screens and newspapers is a sickening reminder of how the world is changing.

Gang warfare, often involving very young members, is now a deadly fact of life in council estates that dot the cityscape in all the major towns of Britain. These grim, ugly blocks of flats are the breeding grounds of anti-social elements of all kinds. Adults walk in fear in these areas, while gangs protect their turf against outsiders. Hundreds of young people have been attacked, some of them fatally, for just walking through a council estate where a particular gang controls the territory. Kids join gangs simply to get protection.

All too often, the police are helpless. Most of these criminals are too young to jail, and even when brought before a judge, they are let off with an ASBO (Anti-Social Behaviour Order). These ASBOs are theoretically supposed to restrain the movements of young thugs and to prevent them from approaching the victims of their past attacks, but in fact are worn like a badge of honour. This kind of anti-social behaviour is rife in many state-run schools as well, with drugs and bullying on the increase. School heads and teachers find themselves helpless as they exercise very little authority over their charges. Any attempt to instil discipline runs counter to the prevailing notions of political correctness that dictate educational policies in a nanny state that seeks to control every aspect of a teacher’s behaviour. Demoralised and virtually without authority, school staff try and cope as best as they can.

Binge drinking among the young is another epidemic that is eroding all notions of discipline. Children as young as twelve and thirteen indulge in heavy boozing sessions, while those who can legally enter pubs at eighteen get seriously hammered over the weekend. On Friday nights, pubs should simply be given a miss to avoid the fights and wild behaviour that is now routine.

Indeed, the old rallying cry of ‘Rule Britannia’ should now be changed to ‘Booze Britannia’.